Fitness Blog 1 – Body by Helen?
Wells90-X, Body by Helen, Model CrossFit? I had every intention of crafting a cool name for our new fitness blog, but decided against it. My reason: fitness is a relatively simple concept, but for whatever reason, we make it out to be a great mystery. I’m a huge fitness buff, and train a small group of clients from time to time. The question I get asked the most is, “Does (insert catchy named fitness product here) work?” 99.9% of the time my answer is “yes.” Why is my answer yes? Simple, there are a ton of great products and videos on the market. They all “work,” but they all require one thing: WORK.
We decided to throw out this question to our fans in the social media sphere: “What types of things would you like to see in our fitness video blog?” We got back things like short targeted routines, 15-minute workouts, and simple workouts that can be done at home. Ask, and you shall receive.
Circuit training can be done with little to no equipment, and as I like to say, “You can wreck your body in less than a half hour.” By the way, I mean wreck in the best way possible.
Circuits typically target your major muscle groups in a matter of minutes. They can also accomplish many different things in one workout: strength training, muscular endurance, and cardiovascular training. Healthy heart, lungs, muscles, and bones in one workout—you can’t beat it.
The Workout (Circuit #1):
A: Fartlek. Fartlek is a fancy word for “speed play.” We used a standard track for our speed play, where we sprinted the two straights and jogged/walked the turns. In the first video you see me sprinting the first straight. In the second video you will see Jeremy and David coming out of their second sprint and heading into the second section of the circuit. Fartlek training incorporates a work/rest model. First you sprint (work), then you jog or walk (rest). We did not film an entire fartlek lap, but it would go like this: sprint, walk, sprint, walk.
B: Push Press / Walking Lunges / Medicine Ball Squat -Toss. In the video below you see Jeremy and David come out of their second sprint, walk to catch their breath, and then head straight into the push press.
The push press is one of my favorite moves; it incorporates both the lower and upper body. This move is great for the shoulders, glutes, and quads. You’ll hear me say this a lot, any type of squat is great for the booty (glutes).
Walking lunges are up next. Say hello to a fantastic overall leg and butt-firming move. Oh, sorry, “glute-firming.”
We ended the circuit with a medicine ball squat-toss. Like the other moves, this one is great for the legs, butt, and upper body. If you notice, all of our upper body moves incorporate a “push,” and not a “pull.” Translation: a push focuses on the chest, shoulders, and triceps. We will incorporate some “pulls” in our next workout.
We completed four total rounds of the circuit with a few minutes rest in between each round. Each round (sprints, push press, lunges, and ball toss) took about three minutes to complete. With a light warm-up and cool-down, you are looking at a total of 30 minutes. A few other positives about this workout: you control the pace, you control the weight, and you control your rest—great for any fitness level!
These videos were done on a Flip. We plan on filming some with our videographer, Rick Lang—these Flip videos will serve as great production comparisons.
And last but not least, my second portion of the circuit, complete with colorful commentary. Enjoy.